How can buildings beat the heat in a desert city? Mix old and modern.

Dubai is full of futuristic glass skyscrapers. That’s problematic from a sustainability perspective in a city where temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several months each year. The air conditioning can be so strong in summer that some people wear coats and scarves indoors.

But a growing number of architects in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, currently hosting the United Nations Climate Action Summit, are now designing buildings in more sustainable ways, using the latest technology but also reintroducing age-old construction techniques that have long made buildings livable . air conditioning existed.

These methods include orienting buildings away from the sun, building in accordance with wind patterns to increase natural ventilation, minimizing the use of glass and incorporating traditional Islamic architecture to create shade, according to several architects who are based in Dubai or have worked there. the region.

“There has been an obsession with glass skyscrapers over the past fifteen years, which makes our city look like all other cities.” said AlZaina Lootah, an architect and researcher based in Dubai. Now more new projects integrate traditional architecture. They use courtyards, terraces and narrow alleys for shade and wind towers, developed by the ancient Persians, to draw cool air to street level, she said.

Other methods include building with thicker walls, which absorb heat during the day and release it at night, using double facades and using more energy-efficient building materials that reflect heat.

Air conditioning became widely available in the Emirates in the 1970s, not long after oil was discovered. The discovery of oil revolutionized life in the region and within just a few decades led to a construction boom, including the creation of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which is twice the height of the Empire State Building.

Greater reliance on energy-hungry air conditioners will only contribute to a cycle of increasing energy demand and worsening global warming, according to a United Nations report published Tuesday. This is especially true in the Middle East, one of the regions most affected by global warming.

There is growing awareness of rising temperatures in Dubai, the first city in the Middle East to receive platinum certification from the Program Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Cities, which is managed by the US Green Building Council and rates buildings based on their design, carbon dioxide emissions and energy efficiency. The city has 367 projects that are LEED certified, according to the building council.

An example of a low-tech, age-old sustainable construction technique is the use of shaded areas and narrow alleys, as seen in the walkways around the Dubai International Financial Centre. The center’s Grand Mosque, which opened in 2020, features perforated panels to mimic mashrabiyas, the traditional latticework screens used in Egypt for centuries to protect buildings from sunlight.

Another example in the Emirates is Masdar City, on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, which has a university, apartments and office buildings. British architectural firm Foster + Partners combined high-tech design with centuries-old construction practices, positioning buildings in a way that allows strong breezes to keep pedestrians cool, even in high temperatures. Parts of the city are elevated and use higher ground to take advantage of stronger winds, a practice used for centuries in other countries in the region.

Masdar City has two net-zero buildings (meaning the greenhouse gases they produce are offset by other activities) and is building three more. It has a population of about 5,000, far fewer than it was designed for, and on Thursday morning it was quiet except for tour groups and a few students.

Sustainable construction can only go so far in a city dominated by major highways, heavy traffic and… air pollution levels exceeding healthy limits. And as temperatures in Dubai continue to rise due to global warming, there are limits to the effectiveness of age-old practices.

“It was a different time, but also a different place,” says Todd Reisz, architect and author of the book “Showpiece City: How Architecture Made Dubai.”

“Temperatures are higher,” Mr. Reisz said. “Wind patterns change, water currents change. So we can’t really talk about a total return, but perhaps about how people relate to the environment around them.”

Rob Cooke, director of sustainability at Buro Happold, an engineering firm with clients in the Middle East, said there is more awareness about the benefits of using architectural techniques to keep spaces cool, and that almost all clients want sustainable designs.

But sustainability is not always a priority, he said, and for every new sustainable building in Dubai there are many designs that largely ignore the climate. “I see that as a fundamental problem,” said Dr. Cooke. Dubai’s glass skyscrapers offer views of the city, but people often close their blinds because of the heat and direct sunlight.

Dubai has benefited from easy access to oil, which has helped the city overcome the heat through the use of heavy air conditioning, said Dr. Cooke. As temperatures continue to rise, buildings that are not based on traditional passive cooling architecture will become more expensive to operate. “That’s certainly going to be a problem when those shiny assets become liabilities,” he said.

Ultimately, though, what’s more important than building more high-tech sustainable skyscrapers is creating sustainable, walkable cities, Mr. Reisz said.

“How much can we do with technology, and how much should we look at changing the way we live?” he said.